AUBURN, Alabama -- Gus Malzahn didn't quite understand what he had in Cam Newton when he first arrived on campus.

"If you would have watched Cam two and a half weeks into spring practice, in all fairness, you didn't know for sure he was going to be the quarterback," Malzahn said. "Everything wasn't perfect."

It took some time, too, for Malzahn to adjust the offense to better fit Newton's strengths, particularly with the read option and designed run plays. Malzahn once joked it took four weeks into the season to properly adjust and shift the offense to fit his strengths.

Three years later, Malzahn says he has a much better understanding of Nick Marshall than he did with Newton after a few weeks in his system. Malzahn will not go as far as to compare the Heisman winner to his new quarterback at Auburn, but he is trying to place the newcomer in a better position to succeed early in the season.

The main difference is the fact that the Tigers did not allow defenders to tackle quarterbacks in the spring and preseason of 2010. Malzahn shifted his approach in preseason camp this time with four quarterbacks battling for the starting job.

"The day that we went live, they were flying around him and I was right back there with him and he seemed like it was 7-on-7 mode," Malzahn said of Marshall.

Malzahn was impressed. Marshall didn't quite have a full grasp on the offense, but what he did know he executed well.

Malzahn hasn't quite coached a quarterback that matches Marshall's small size (6-1, 210 pounds) and speed. Ten different quarterbacks have started for Malzahn in his seven years as an offensive coordinator or head coach. Only two have rushed for more than 200 yards in a season: Newton with 1,473 yards in 2009 and Arkansas State's Ryan Aplin with 438 in 2012.

Newton was different, of course. He was big, built like a tight end capable of knocking over a linebacker one-on-one up the field.

Marshall is small and elusive, but he also has a big arm capable of throwing -- and hitting receivers -- 80 yards down the field. He also played at cornerback for a season at Georgia in 2011.

"We're always going to play to our quarterback's strengths, but he's very unique. There's no doubt," Malzahn said of Marshall. "He's a phenomenal athlete. One of the better athletes I've probably gotten a chance to coach at the quarterback position."

The Tigers will be a run-heavy team in 2013 with Marshall as the quarterback, and Tre Mason and Cameron Artis-Payne sharing carries at running back. The junior might also have more freedom to run the football, even when the play call from the sideline is strictly a pass play.

Still, he's not built to absorb big hits like Newton.

"Really, in this league, you can't take too many hits at quarterback," Marshall said. "I'll use it to my advantage to get out of bounds or just get down."

Marshall says he ran similar offenses at Garden City Community College and Wilcox County (Ga.) High, where he carried teams on his shoulders. He set a Georgia state record for touchdown passes in a career (103), and also passed for more than 3,000 yards and ran for 1,000 more in junior college.

It may take some time for Marshall to fully grasp the offense, but Malzahn has a pretty good idea of what Marshall is capable of doing on the football field. That wasn't necessarily the case with Newton early in 2010.

"We do understand what Nick can do," Malzahn said. "We think he’s got a lot more upside, that he’ll get better and more comfortable with everything. He’s got some ability to make plays when things break down. And you all already know this, but in this league things are going to break down from time to time."

It's a "good fit," Marshall said. The Tigers are well on their way to building the offense around him as well.

"I really like the read option, and the stuff that comes off the read option," Marshall said. "That just helps me utilize my abilities."